John drake



J. DRAKE ApriI ZZ 1924- BUCIKLE Filed Feb. 18. 1922 i atented Apr. 22, 1924.

" UNITED STATES JOHN DRAKE, 01E WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

- BUCKLE.

Application filed February 18, 1922. Serial No. 537,397.

To all whom it concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN DRAKE, a citizen of the United States, residing in the town of West Orange, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Buckles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the same.

The object of my invention is to provide a buckle or clasp for use in connection with belts and like articles. The novel features of my invention will be more particularly pointed out hereafter.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a cross section of my buckle showing the same in use in connection with a belt; a

Fig. 2 is a plan View of my buckle from the bottom showing the clamping member in inoperative position;

Fig. 3 is a cross section along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the.

arrow; and

Fig. a is a longitudinal cross section of my buckle showing a belt in clamped position therein.

Referring now in detail to the drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar partsthroughout 5 represents a belt having a loop portion 6 and what I will hereafter refer'to as a freeend portion 7. The buckle. 8 is attached to the loop portion 6 of the belt by looping the said end of the belt through the loop 9 of the buckle in any usual manner. The buckle embodies the face plate 10 with marginal flanges 11 and 12. Extending from the marginal flanges 11 and 12 are the flanges 13 and 14 respectively. Projecting from the marginal flanges 11 and 12 are the lugs 15 and 16 in which is hingeably mounted the clamping member 17 which clamping member is provided with a groove 18 which may be of any suitable shape and which preferably runs longitudinally along the jaw of the clamping member 17. In the back of the face plate 8 I have provided hills'or ribs 19 and 20 between which is the groove 21.

The belt is securely fastened to the buckle in any well-known manner as by passing the same through the loop 9 thereof so as to form a unit therewith. The free end portion of the belt 7 is passed between the face plate 8 and the flanges 13, 141 and under the clamping member 17, said member being in inoperative position for the purpose. When the free end portion has been passed through the buckleas described and the belt has been properly adjusted the clamping member 17 is given the position shown in Fig. 1 so that the free end portion of the belt will be engaged between the clamping jaw on one side and the groove 21 and rib members 18 and 19 of the face plate on the other side thus holding the belt securely against slipping.

This grip is eifected by the sides of the] groove 18 of the clamping member on one side and the groove and ribs 21 and 19 and 20 respectively of the facemember of the buckle and is assisted by suction which takes place between the belt and the groove of the clampingjaw when a strain is brought upon the belt to move it in either direction if the clamping jaw is in clamped position.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiment of my invention. I do not, however, wish to be confined to the embodiment shown but what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim- 1. In a belt buckle, a face plate having a ridge on the under side thereof, a lever-fulcrumed on the face plate, said lever being provided at one end with a ridge adapted to press a belt against the ridge of the face plate.

2. In a belt buckle, a face plate having a plurality of ridges on the under side thereof, a lever fulcrumed on the face plate and provided with ridges, the ridges on the face plate and on the lever being substantially adjacent each other when the lever is in gripping position and means carried by the other end of the lever whereby one end of a belt may be attached thereto.

3. In a belt buckle, a face plate, lugs ex-' tending from the under side thereof, a lever fulcrumed in the lugs, said face plate having ridges on the under side thereof and said lever having ridges adjacent the ridges on the face plate when the lever is in gripping position whereby a belt may be securely held between the ridges on the face plate and the ridges on the lever.

JOHN DRAKE. 

